Editor’s Note: The Power of Words

May 2nd 2007

This week’s monthly gleanings from Anatoly mark a special moment for me and my family.

In 2003 my grandfather, the rock of our family, passed away. G.J.(our nickname for him) had an amazing ability to make everyone feel like the most important person in the room. He was also quite the character, he charmed nurses and all of us. At the end of meals he used to pronounce “Let’s clean up” while sitting there calmly letting everyone clean around him.

He also used a lot of words no one in my family had ever heard before. Bumbershoot, dapadoodle etc… So I asked Anatoly to look for their origins. He was skeptical about success at first, but in the end he was able to find the story behind each word. This week’s gleanings bring my grandfather alive for me again, revealing some of his secrets and hinting at my family’s past. Amazing what words can do!